Categories

Categories organize catalog products into a tree. A category does not create stock, move products, or change warehouse workflows, but it helps with filtering, import, integration, reporting, and finding products quickly.

Use categories for stable structures, for example:

• Footwear
• Footwear > Children
• Footwear > Children > Winter

Note

A category is catalog data. Physical stock changes only through operational workflows, such as Goods receiving, Putaway, transfer, adjustments, or inventory counting.

Opening the Page

To manage categories, open Catalog -> Categories.

The page does not depend on a selected warehouse because the category structure belongs to the client account, not to a single warehouse.

The menu option appears only for users who have permission to manage categories. Add, edit, and delete actions are shown separately, based on the user’s permissions.

What You See on the Page

The page displays categories as a tree.

The table shows:

• category name;
• number of subcategories;
• available actions, if the user has permission.

The Expand all button opens all tree branches. The Collapse all button closes them.

The number shown for subcategories includes all descendants of that category, not only direct children.

Tree Structure

Categories can be created at the main level or under a parent category.

In manual administration, the structure is limited to three levels:

Level	Example
Level 1	Footwear
Level 2	Footwear > Children
Level 3	Footwear > Children > Winter

A level 3 category cannot have new subcategories from the administration page.

Tip

Keep the structure short. For most WMS workflows, three levels are enough and stay easy to use in filters, imports, and integrations.

Creating a Category

To create a category:

1. Click Add.
2. Enter the category name.
3. Choose the parent category if the new category must be created as a subcategory.
4. Click Add to save.

If you do not choose a parent category, the category is created at the main level.

The name must have between 2 and 100 characters. Spaces at the beginning and end are cleaned when saving.

Putaway WMS does not allow two categories with the same name under the same parent. The same name can exist in different branches, but it should be used only when it makes operational sense.

Caution

Do not create duplicate categories only because of small spelling differences, for example Shoes, shoes, and Shoes . Duplicates make imports, filters, and integrations harder to control.

Editing a Category

To edit a category, use the edit action on the category row.

You can change:

• category name;
• parent category.

When you change the parent, Putaway WMS moves the category to the new branch and recalculates its level and the levels of its subcategories.

The move is refused if:

• the new parent does not exist;
• the category is moved under itself;
• the category is moved under one of its own subcategories;
• the move would exceed the three-level limit;
• a category with the same name already exists under the new parent.

Note

Editing a category does not move stock and does not physically change products. Products remain linked to the same category, and their display updates based on the category’s new position in the tree.

Deleting a Category

To delete a category, use the delete action and confirm the dialog.

Deletion is allowed only for categories that:

• have no subcategories;
• are not linked to products.

If a category has subcategories, delete or move the subcategories first.

If a category is linked to products, remove the category from the products or move the products to another category before deleting it.

Caution

Do not delete active categories only for visual cleanup. First check the impact on products, imports, and integrations that use that category.

Categories on Products

Categories are used in Products when creating, editing, filtering, and applying bulk actions.

In the product list, the category filter can also return products from the subcategories of the selected category. For example, if you filter by Footwear, you can also see products from Footwear > Children or Footwear > Children > Winter.

For products with variants, the category is managed on the parent product. Variants use the parent’s catalog data.

From product bulk actions, you can:

• add selected products to a category;
• move selected products to a category;
• remove a category from products.

These actions change the product’s catalog data, not stock.

Categories in Product Import

In Import products, the category can be filled in by name or by hierarchical path.

The recommended format is:

Main category > Subcategory > Final subcategory

Example:

Footwear > Children > Winter

Putaway WMS cleans spaces around the > separator and searches each level under the correct parent. If the import is configured to create missing values, missing categories can be created automatically and count toward the plan limits.

For clean imports:

• use the same name as in the Categories page;
• keep the same > separator;
• avoid different abbreviations for the same product family;
• check the import results before using the products in receiving.

Categories in Catalog Sync

In Catalog Sync, categories from the external store can be mapped to internal categories in Putaway WMS.

For categories, internal options are displayed with the full path so it is clear which category is being used when similar names exist in different branches.

Correct mapping helps with:

• matching products imported from the store;
• keeping a stable WMS structure;
• avoiding duplicate categories created from integrations.

Limits and Validations

Putaway WMS validates categories against the authenticated client account.

When creating and editing, it checks:

• user permission;
• category limit included in the plan;
• parent category existence;
• name uniqueness under the same parent;
• level limit;
• prevention of cycles in the tree.

When deleting, it checks:

• category existence in the current account;
• existing subcategories;
• existing products linked to the category.

Work Recommendations

Build categories in logical order:

1. main categories;
2. subcategories;
3. products;
4. imports or integrations.

For a structure that is easy to manage:

• use short and clear names;
• avoid categories for characteristics that belong in attributes, such as size, color, or material;
• use Attributes for variants and product properties;
• use Brands for brands, not categories;
• use Units for units, not categories;
• do not create temporary categories for products that only need to be checked in receiving or quarantine.

Rules

• A category organizes the catalog, not stock.
• Do not create duplicates at the same level.
• Do not use more hierarchy than necessary.
• Check categories before large imports.
• Do not delete categories linked to active products.
• For products with variants, keep the category on the parent product.